14025 imaginative reading comprehension a murdersuicide

Name: .......................................................... Class:

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Date:

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A man and a woman died in an apparent murder-suicide last night in Altadena. The man
was 74-year-old Dominic Vittorio. The woman was his 70-year-old wife, Victoria. The
couple had been married for 50 years. In fact, their 50th anniversary occurred just a
month ago, according to their next-door neighbor, Mrs. Allen. The couple was childless
and had no close friends. Mr. Vittorio was a retired carpenter who had cancer and was
blind in one eye. His wife was a diabetic who had already had one foot amputated because
of this disease. Her eyesight was almost completely gone.
“They were such a nice couple,” said Mrs. Allen. “I’ve lived next to them for the last 20
years or so. I’m widowed, and Dom always used to help me with things like changing light
bulbs and fixing appliances. They had no kids, but they were always friendly to the
neighborhood kids. Every Halloween they handed out tons of candy and fresh fruit. But
about eight years ago Vicky came down with diabetes, and things just haven’t been the
same for her or Dom. They used to be so friendly and full of life, and then they just
seemed to get quieter and quieter.
“She used to come over to my place once or twice a week and we would talk about all
kinds of things and have the nicest time. But that happened less and less as she got sicker.
So I would go over to her house about once a week and we would talk. But the
conversations steadily got shorter, and she seemed to lose interest in listening and in
talking. She didn’t say it, but you could tell she was in a lot of pain.”
Mrs. Allen said she hadn’t even talked to either of the Vittorios in almost a year. They
never came out. Even food was delivered to them by a local agency. She said she heard
two gunshots last night—“It scared me half to death!” She immediately called the police.
“Such a sad ending for such nice people,” she said. “Together in sickness, but alone in the

world.”

Write
Answer: Use your imagination!
1. In which country did they live?
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2. Why did they have a gun in the house?
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3. What was Mr Vittorio’s job before he retired?
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4. Why didn’t they have children?
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5. Did they have a car? If so, what kind?
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6. Why did Mr Vittorio become blind in one eye?
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Do you think Mr Vittorio was right in what he did?
Explain your point of view.
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What else could someone do in this situation? What
would you have done?
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Teacher Notes
The aim of this kind of reading exercise is to stimulate children’s imagination. Most if
not all traditional reading comprehension exercises have one thing in common: they
are absolutely boring.
So try something new, something students don’t expect. At first they’ll ask ‘Teacher,
what’s the correct answer, I can’t find it in the text?’
That’s right. Try to make them understand that they are free to answer whatever
they think could be right. After they have all finished, you could have a meaningful
discussion about why they chose these particular answers and turn the reading lesson
into some conversation practice.
I hope you all enjoy this approach to make reading more interesting.
Credits: Original free story available at The version
in this worksheet has been slightly modified for teaching purposes.

Write
Answer: Use your imagination!
1. In which country did they live?
USA
2. Why did they have a gun in the house?
to protect themselves against burglars
3. What was Mr Vittorio’s job before he retired?
gardener
4. Why didn’t they have children?
they didn’t like children
5. Did they have a car? If so, what kind?
yes, a Honda Civic
6. Why did Mr Vittorio become blind in one eye?

someone threw a dart in his eye by accident

Do you think Mr Vittorio was right in what he did?
Explain your point of view.
Answers may vary. Go around the classroom to help
with ideas and brainstorming.
………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………
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What else could someone do in this situation? What
would you have done?
Answers may vary. Go around the classroom to help
with ideas and brainstorming.
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